


Lovers' hearts- English translation

by ot5ilaria



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Harry Styles - Freeform, Liam Payne & Harry Styles Friendship, Liam Payne - Freeform, Louis Tomlinson - Freeform, Love, M/M, Niall Horan & Louis Tomlinson Friendship, Niall Horan - Freeform, Photographer Harry, Zayn Malik & Louis Tomlinson Friendship, Zayn Malik - Freeform, larry - Freeform, larry stylinson - Freeform, one direction - Freeform, they meet on a train
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23365123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ot5ilaria/pseuds/ot5ilaria
Summary: "So you're good with your hands." Harry smiled smugly, at that point.Louis didn't even try to hold back a smirk while answering "Very.""Good." the curly boy commented,  amused "Tell me more about you."Or: Louis can finally go back home for Christmas break and on the train he meets a curly, clumsy boy. And he thinks that, sometimes, two hearts recognize each other without us doing nothing.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Lovers' hearts- English translation

**Author's Note:**

> THIS STORY ISN'T MINE, IT'S JUST AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION. ALL THE CREDITS GO TO THE LOVELY @mysoftlouis WHO GAVE ME PERMISSION TO TRANSLATE HER STORY FROM ITALIAN TO ENGLISH. You can find her on ao3 and Wattpad with the same username 
> 
> This is the first ff I have ever translated. I'm not a native English, so if there are mistakes let me know, please!
> 
> Enjoy! x  
> -I

«Train approaching platform three. Please, remain behind yellow line.»  
Louis snorted while the grating, recorded voice repeated the same message a couple of times, always with its mechanical and unnatural cadence.  
Honestly, his love-hate relationship for passing trains was based on the season: he adored them on summer days, when they moved quickly through the station, taking a pleasant breath of fresh air with them that wiped out the heat for at least a moment. He hated them, instead, during winter, when they created an unbearable swirl of frost that seemed capable of dragging with it even the smallest remnant of heat laboriously scraped.  
And in that moment his hate had reached its maximum peaks, considering that it was a cold night of December and he had been out there for ages, sincehis train was fifty minutes late.  
Fifty! It would have been quicker to ask Santa for a ride, at that point.

And as if that wasn't enough, the inside of the train station had been left without heating, so waiting in there would have been just as bad. May as well be out in the open.  
Louis snorted again – his breath turning into very light, tiny clouds as soon as it left his lips – and he rubbed his arms with his hands, covered by warm wool gloves.  
Despite his jacket, his beanie and the scarf that wrapped him up almost to his ears, he was freezing. He would be soon turning into a Louis-popsicle, on display in a museum to be observed by future generations. But at least he would be in a warm place.  
«Train approaching platform three. Please, remain behind yellow line.»  
«I get it, I get it.» snorted Louis, trying to get some shelter behind one the columns that supported the canopy, hoping to protect himself at least a little from the incoming wind.  
He closed his eyes for a moment, hearing the regular rhythm of the train on the rails in the distance, but he suddenly opened them when the train sped very fast right behind him, fully hitting him with a gust of wind that easily moved him half a meter, freezing him to the bones.  
At that point Louis felt the irrepressible urge to slap himself: he had indeed sought shelter behind a column, but on the wrong side of it, and instead of sheltering himself he had been totally exposed.  
Idiot, he mentally insulted himself, moving to the other side and frowning, annoyed by the noise made by the train.  
Judging by how stunned his intellectual capacity was, he really needed Christmas break. 

Louis distractedly observed the empty train station, only illuminated by yellowish lampposts, mentally thanking whoever invented the Christmas holiday. He wouldn't have lasted one more day at the clinic, otherwise. That was sure.  
Awakened from his thoughts by a detail he hadn't noticed before, Louis straightened a little and sharpened his gaze: about twenty meters away from him, there was a guy. And he was also pretty cute, for what Louis could see despite the warm jacket and the oversized scarf wrapping him up.  
He was quite tall and had soft, dark brown hair, his cheeks were red because of the cold and his eyes were focused on the direction in which the train for Doncaster was supposed to appear. 

The last cars of the freight train passed through the station and quickly moved away, while Louis adjusted the beanie on his hair and tried to find a random topic to start chatting up he stranger. At that point he would have talked even to the benches rather than having his mind stuck on how cold he felt. And a cute guy was certainly better than a bench, so he took a deep breath and started moving to approach him. Actually, he didn't approach him at all, though, because the "cute guy" had just dropped a huge and disgusting spit on the rails.  
«Ew,» Louis whispered, disgusted, turning to the other side.  
After all, maybe the benches were better. He didn't have desire to talk to the llama-boy, thank you very much.

«The 19.22 train for Doncaster is arriving at platform two. Please, remain behind yellow line.»  
«Finally!» Louis sighed, starting to find that recorded voice less unbearable than usual.  
Or at least, that was what he thought before the train stopped with a prolonged whistle in front of him: the cars were packed with passengers. He would have needed a miracle to find a seat in those conditions.  
«I can't believe this,» he complained with a sigh, lifting his suitcase and hurrying to the nearest door.  
This opened, letting a couple of people get off the train, then Louis could come aboard the car. And from there started his pilgrimage looking for an empty seat.  
That could have been a new type of torture, for all he knew.

Continuing to drag his bulky suitcase – that seemed to become heavier with every step – Louis passed through one, two, three wagonsbefore reaching what seemed to be four wonderful empty seats.  
However, his heart could rejoice only for a couple of seconds, because a moment later Louis reached the seats and noticed that two of them were already occupied by a guy. But the two in front of him seemed empty, so «May I sit?» he asked, pointing at them.  
The stranger raised his eyes from the headphones he was trying to unravel and looked at Louis, looking slightly intimidating for a second.  
«Sure,» he smiled then, bending his legs a little to make room for the other.  
Louis smiled as a reflex, then remembering about the hateful suitcase he had with him. There were too many people to leave it in the middle of the corridor, but on the other hand he couldn't keep it next to him, because in that case he would have had to put it directly on the long legs of the other boy.  
Actually, that guy was taking up a lot of space.  
Sighing disconsolate, Louis glanced at the glove compartment above his head, realizing he would have never managed to gather enough strength to put his suitcase over there. But did he have another choice? No, he didn't. So better roll up his sleeves and get it over with.  
With some kind of chocked groan, Louis lifted his suitcase – why was it so heavy? –he bent backwards to try and get some momentum and then he arched forward. «Shit,» he panted, grinding his teeth, managing to put the suitcase into the glove compartment and hitting it a couple of times to adjust it so that it wouldn't fall. The last thing he needed was ending that horrible day with a big bump on his head.

He collapsed on the seat as soon as he was sure that his suitcase wouldn't falldown, then he looked up and met the eyes of the guy in front of him, who went immediately back to staring at the tangled wire of his headphones.  
Of that very brief eye contact, only one thing remained imprinted in Louis' mind: that stranger's eyes were extraordinarily green.  
«Eeee Macarena!» yelled an annoying voice in that moment, directly from Louis' cell phone. The boy flinched and quickly rummaged in his pockets looking for the device, managing to find it before the song really started.

«Hello?» he gasped, answering the call – why the hell didhe have Macarena as his ringtone, anyway?  
«Hello?» he repeated, hearing no answer other than some weird chocked noises. He looked up and was met again with the green eyes of the boy sat in front of him. Before he could look away, Louis gave him a little, awkward smile.  
«Tommo, I've found you!» screamed a voice from the other end of the line, causing Louis to feel momentarily deaf.  
«Ugh, what the hell... Niall, is that you?» he boy muttered, annoyed, adjusting himself on the seat and taking off his scarf, not without some difficulty.  
«Who else could it be? It's obviously me: the awesome, handsome, incredibly hilarious Niall!» exclaimed the voice, excited.  
«I don't think "incredibly hilarious" is actually correct,» Louis reflected, getting rid of his beanie too and dropping it on the seat next to him.

«Tomlinson, don't kill my enthusiasm.» snapped Niall «Anyway, do you know what day is today?»  
«The day you forgot to check the calendar?»  
«No, idiot. It's the twenty first of December!»  
Louis ran his fingers through his hair to fix it. «So?»  
«So your birthday is in three days! Aren't you happy?» cheered Niall.  
«I'll be twenty four, Neil. Doesn't sound like a special occasion to me,» Louis sighed, starting to unconsciously watch the boy in front of him.  
His brow was currently furrowed in concentration while he loosened the knots formed between the wires of his headphones, and his dark brown hair (similar to that of llama-boy, but curly and a little disheveled, long enough to reach his shoulders) was slightly falling over his eyes.  
Louis felt the temptation to reach out and gently push it back behind his ear. With all those soft curls, it looked really inviting.

«Are you listening to me?» Niall scolded him, making him jump a little.  
«Obviously. I'm following you word by word, mate.» Louis hastened to reassure.  
«So what was the last thing I said?» teased the other.  
«Uhm... that I'm the greatest person who has ever existed?»  
«Good try, Tomlinson. No, I was taking about the family lunch.»  
«Family lunch?» Louis repeated, scrunching his nose «You mean the one we do at mine for Christmas and to which you invite yourself over every year?»  
«Exactly.» Niall answered smugly «Your mother has decided to move it to the twenty fourth, because the next day you'll have to go and see I-don't-know-who I-don't-know-where.»  
«Very specific, Neil, thank you.» Louis sighed «Anyway, why am I hearing these things from you and not from my mum?»  
«She told me to tell you, since she's busy doing I-don't-know-what.»  
«Wait, you're at mine?»  
«Yep.»

Louis sighed, holding the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. «Niall.»  
«Yes, Lou?» his friend asked.  
«I really hope you're staying away from my custard.»  
For few seconds there was no answer, then «O-of course, obviously...» Niall stuttered.  
«My grandma made it. For my birthday.» Louis made it clear.  
«N-naturally, man.»  
«Niall James Horan. I swear to God, if I find any sign of violence on my custard, I will kill you with my own hands.» Louis threaten him «Or, worse: I'll expel you forever from the Tomlinsons' family lunches.»  
«No, not this!» cried Niall «Lou, I swear the custard is fine. I didn't even touch it, I swear it on the blonde of my hair.»  
«You're not blond.» Louis growled.  
At that point, Niall ended the call.

«Asshole,» Louis muttered, irritably looking at the screen of his cell phone. He could feel the curly boy gazing at him, but he had to take a moment to breathe and not think about Niall emptying his pantry, thanks to Johannah's good heart, who never denied food to that idiot.  
I need to have a serious talk with mum, he thought, looking up and meeting the curly boy's green eyes.  
The corners of his mouth were lightly raised in an amused, little smile that let adorable dimples appear on his cheeks.  
Louis smiled back, and kept looking at him even when the other returned his gaze back to his headphones.

Honestly, despite his broad shoulders and remarkable height – perceivable although he was sitting – Louis thought that in that moment he looked like a cute, confused baby struggling with a new and complicated toy. So, after a quick glance at his reflection on the window, he leaned towards him and «May I help you?» asked.  
The curly boy jerked his head up, pushing his hair out of his eyes and raising his eyebrows, surprised. He looked for a moment at Louis' hands, smaller than his own, and then smiled. «Why not? This mess is driving me crazy.» His voice was deep and raspy, and Louis thought it suited him perfectly, giving him an additional dose of charm. «I'm Harry, by the way.»  
«Louis,» the other introduced himself, holding out his hand and shaking the curly boy's one, that was pleasantly warm.  
He, instead, was still cold after all the time spent in the open.

Harry smiled again and gave him the tangles of wires that were his headphones, looking at him starting to unravel the first knots.  
«How did you do this? I've never seen something like this in my whole life.» Louis giggled.  
«I swear I just put them in my pocket, nothing else.»the curly boy assured, his expression baffled «And not even for that long, so I really don't know what happened.»  
Louis shook his head, amused, and slowly continued to untie the wires, finally managing to bring the headphones back to their original state. «There you go!» he gloated.  
«Incredible,» the curly boy commented, surprised, taking his headphones back and staring at them as if they had just arrived from another universe «Now you have to tell me how you did it.»  
«A good magician never reveals his tricks.» Louis winked, but he was interrupted by his cell phone yelling again: «Eeee Macarena!»  
He jumped and blushed slightly, embarrassed by his dumb ringtone, while Harry kept looking at him, giggling. «Hi?» he hurried to answer.

«Hey mate, are you already on the train?»  
Louis moved his cell phone from his ear just for a second to see who was calling him. «Zayn?»  
«You didn't recognize me? Seriously, Tomlinson? I thought you were my best friend.» the other whined dramatically.  
Louis rolled his eyes. «Don't be such a drama queen, Malik.» he snorted «Tell me why you're calling me, instead. Is your tiny, little heart already breaking because I'm missing?» he teased.  
«How funny.» the other muttered «No, I just wanted to ask you something.»  
«I'm not gonna sleep with you.» Louis replied jokingly.  
«Could you shut up and let me speak?»  
«Alright, alright, go on.»  
«Can I use your sheets?»

Louis scrunched his nose. «My sheets? Why?»  
«I just had this great, amazing idea but I don't have a canvas big enough for it,» Zayn started to explain «But then I saw your sheets and they're white and perfect and, please, Lou, can I paint on them?»  
«What? No! Not way.»  
«C'mon, Louuu, I promise it's a great idea. I can't let it slip away!»  
«You're not gonna paint on my sheets. End of story.» Louis cut short.  
«But I'll buy you new ones!»  
«Yeah, that's what you say every single time, and then you don't buy anything back. Wanna talk about that pair of Vans you glued to the ceiling because they "give an artistic vibe"? I don't recall you buying me a new pair of those.»  
«Okay, okay, I'll buy you those back, too. C'mon, please, let me use your sheets now!» Zayn begged.

«Malik, no. This is my final answer. And you don't wanna make me angrier, I'm already furious with Niall 'cause he ate my birthday gift.»  
«Ugh, you're so boring, I can never do anything.» the other complained.  
Louis raised his eyebrows so much he felt like his eyes were going to pop out. «You- God, I'm literally biting my tongue right now, you should be grateful. Stay away from my room, understood?»  
Zayn sighed. «Alright, alright... Have fun at yours.»  
«And you have fun staying away from my room.»

Zayn muttered an unclear answer and ended the call, while Louis shook his head, bewildered. What kind of friends did he have? An Irish drunkard who ate everything that crossed his path and a half Pakistan one step away from kleptomania.  
He had really hit the jackpot in terms of friendship, no doubt about that.  
The worst part was that he also had to share an apartment with Zayn, since they were both too penniless to afford something better, so there really was no way to avoid being robbed of all his possessions.

Sighing exasperated, Louis changed his ringtone to avert any more embarrassment, then returned his attention to the boy in front of him, now focused on texting with someone. But as soon as he felt Louis' eyes on him, Harry set aside his cell phone and smiled. «Macarena, huh?» he giggled.  
Louis rolled his eyes. «Please, let's not talk about it. It's a recording of my best friend yelling. He has a drinking problem.»  
Harry laughed. «Is he the one who wants to steal your sheets?» he asked, amused, and then quickly added: «Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop your calls.»  
«Don't worry, listening to my calls causes more damage to you than to me, actually. Their idiocy is contagious.» Louis replied jokingly. «Anyway, no, the drunk friend is the custard one.»  
«Got it.» Harry laughed «At least your life is not boring.»  
«Honestly, it's a miracle that I haven't had a mental breakdown yet.» Louis replied, even though he wasn't really mad at them «But you're right after all: they are two funny idiots.»  
«Well, what would we do without some embarrassing friends?» the curly boy commented, smiling.

«Well, for one I could go out without these.» Louis replied, raising his foot to show what kind of shoes he was wearing: they were Vans, yes, but they were pink and had some drawings made with a marker on them. «I stole them from my sister.» he explained «Not that that's any better, actually.I feel like a fucking midget.» he complained as he put his foot down and leaned in to give a friendly pat on Harry's arm «Don't laugh at me!» he protested.  
«I'm sorry, it's just that you're really tiny, Lou.» the curly boy giggled «But those shoes give you a special touch of class, I mean it.» he added, even though he was basically rolling on the seats because of his laughter.  
Louis rolled his eyes, then looking at the other's outfit to find something he could tease him about.

Apart from the debatable floral shirt that was slightly visible from underneath his semi-open coat, though, he didn't find anything ridiculous enough. That was until his eyes reached the curly boy's footwear, anyway.  
«Ha!» he exclaimed then, happy for having found something he could make fun of «Do you really wanna talk about my shoes while wearing golden, glittery boots? Do you really?»  
Harry instantly composed himself, lifting his chin in a snobby expression. «My boots are beautiful, thank you.»  
«Sure, princess.» Louis teased him «Do you also use them to signal your position to the mother ship?»

The curly boy opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by the ticket inspector who suddenly appeared shouting: «Tickets!» and made them both jump.  
Louis and Harry turned together to look at him, puzzled and a little annoyed for having been interrupted, then they hurried to rummage in their coats.  
«There you go.» the curly boy smiled a moment later, giving the man his ticket,who checked it with a bored expression before repeating the process with Louis and then proceeding towards the other passengers.

«This is the third time since we left London.» Harry commented, following him briefly with his eyes «I don't know what he thinks might have changed in the meantime.»  
«He's probably bored.» Louis murmured «Oh, by the way, do you know why the train was late, earlier?»  
Harry smiled, amused, and the dimples reappeared on his cheeks. «Cows on the rails.» he answered «A lot of people got off to make them move.»  
«Cows?!» Louis repeated, bewildered «I stayed out in the cold for fifty minutes because of... cows?»  
Harry burst out laughing. «Well, look at the bright side, at least I took some good pictures.» he said, pointing at the dark case beside him, which probably contained his camera.  
«And how is that a "bright side", for me?» Louis pouted, crossing his arms on his chest and leaning against the seat backrest.

His sweet smile still on his face, Harry moved his stuff from the seat next to him and tapped it with his hand, while using the other to open the case and take the camera. «Well, you'll be the first to see the them.» he replied happily.  
Louis stared at him for a moment, not entirely convinced, but then he moved next to him and impatiently got closer, fidgeting on the seat while muttering to himself: «Let's hope they are really good, at least.»  
«You tell me.» the curly boy smiled, settling next to him to show him the not-very-big screen of the camera.

A second later, Louis raised his eyebrows, surprised by the pictures that appeared in front of his eyes: the dark red and orange that had pervaded the sky at sunset were fixed in wonderful contrast with the brown colours of the fields, and the massive profiles of the cows stood firmly against that impressive background.  
There were different shots; in some photos groups of people were intent on moving the animals, while in others only the sky and the earth showed themselves in all their majesty.  
«Wow,» Louis whispered, mesmerized, making the curly boy smile «You're really good.»  
«Well, the landscape made the main work.» Harry shrugged, but Louis firmly shook his head.  
«Don't be stupid,» he retorted «If it was up to me, we would have pictures of feet, people falling and cows in ambiguous poses instead of these beauties.»

Harry giggled, moving a lock of hair from his face while putting his camera back in its case. «You're exaggerating, Lou.»  
«I'm not.» the other replied «When I go on holiday I always end up taking at least fifty pictures of my feet because I don't pay attention to what I'm doing.» he started listing, counting on his fingers «Then, people who fall are too ridiculous and I just have to take photos of them.» he continued «And, lastly, you don't wanna hear a whole monologue about how fun it is to shock my mum with pictures of animals in dubious poses.» he finished laughing.

«Alright, you won.» Harry nodded, amused «Even if I'm starting to think that you could make a whole photo album about me, considering the amount of times I slip and fall on the ground.»  
«Really? Do you fall that often?» Louis giggled.  
«To be honest, I spend about ninety percent of my life trying to stand like a normal human being.» the curly boy specified «You'd be surprised by how clumsy I can be.»  
«You don't look that clumsy,» Louis smiled.  
«That's because I'm sitting.» Harry winked.  
«Oh, shut up.» the other laughed, pushing him gently and then pulling him back close to him «Tell me something about you, instead: are you a photographer?»

The curly boy smiled. «Not yet. I'm attending a photography course in London, because when this was given to me,» And he raised his camera «I didn't even know how to use it. But I must say I'm really enjoying it. I don't know, maybe it's the kind of thing that I could do for job.»  
«I can imagine you, going around the world, just you and your camera.» Louis nodded.  
«Really?»  
«Really.»  
Harry smiled again, admiring Louis' bright, blue eyes and the way his light brown hair fell into a disheveled fringe on his forehead. In that moment, he wished he could take a picture of him. Or a hundred. Or maybe a thousand.

«What about you, what do you do?» he asked slowly, his voice a little rougher and deeper than usual.  
Louis smiled, happiness shining in his eyes. «I finished university last year. Physiotherapy, you know. And now I'm working at a clinic.» he explained with the tiniest bit of self-pride «But I think my employer mistook me for an intern, judging by the salary.» he added laughing «And every time I bring it up, he pretends to be deaf.»  
Harry laughed too. «You have a real talent for finding weirdoes, don't you?»  
«You could say that.» Louis replied, amusingly pointing at his golden boots.

«Hey, stop making fun of them, you're hurting my feelings.» the curly boy pouted, even though he didn't look really offended.  
«Alright, alright, I won't say anything else.» Louis promised, gently caressing Harry's arm to make him smile again. «But going back to serious things,» he continued «In August or September of next year I'll be transferred to the London office and I'm really looking forward to it.» he said excitedly.  
The curly boy smiled, remaining silent for a second as if lost in his thoughts, then his eyes seemed to light up as he exclaimed: «Louis, you've just said you're a physical therapist!»  
«Um, yeah...?»  
«Can I ask you a favor?»  
«Well... yeah, sure...»

With a few awkward movements, Harry took his coat off and remained in his shirt – which was, by the way, unbuttoned all the way down to the middle of his chest, leaving his skin uncovered and showing small hints of what must have been tattoos.  
Wasn't he cold?  
Louis swallowed and held his breath without even noticing.  
«Like I said, I have literally no coordination,» Harry continued «So the other day, to avoid falling down the stairs, I grabbed the handrail and I must have done some weird movement, 'cause now this spot really hurts.» he explained, turning around to point with difficulty at his back.

«Here?» Louis asked, placing two fingers at the end of his rib cage.  
«Ouch- yeah.» Harry nodded, the look of pain on his face reflected on the window «Can I... use you and ask for your professional opinion?»  
«Of course, let me check.» Louis chuckled, massaging him without putting too much strength into his movements. He could feel Harry's muscles tense and relax under his touch, and he felt suddenly very happy to be a physical therapist.  
Usually at the clinic his clients were either elders or people who needed rehabilitation, not Nature's masterpieces, Greek-god-looking guys like Harry.  
Okay, he should probably calm down and focus on what he was doing.

«Turn around a little more, like this.» he guided him, helping him into a more comfortable position. Now he was faced by Harry's broad back, and staying focused was a bit more difficult than he expected. He shook his head and took a deep breath. He really needed to concentrate on what he was doing, he didn't want to end up accidentally hurting Harry.

«Do you remember what kind of movement you made?»  
The curly boy shifted a little bit on the seat. «I think- um- I arched backwards or sideways.»  
«Does it hurt here?» Louis asked, gently pressing his fingers a little lower than before.  
«Yeah,» Harry groaned.  
Louis nodded, carefully massaging his back, gently pressing his thumbs on the sore spot. «I think it's just a muscular sprain.» he explained «It will take a little while to stop hurting, so in the meantime avoid any physical effort and... try not to fall.» he chuckled.  
«Easier said than done.» the curly boy sighed «Could you keep doing that? Your hands are soft and I feel like you're making my pain go away.» he then asked, smiling at Louis in that adorable way of his from the reflection on the window.  
Louis felt himself blush slightly. «Sure.» he nodded, settling more comfortably on his seat and then going back to massaging Harry's back.  
He continued for a while, actually, while the train sped along and stopped briefly at the various stations on its way.

«Tell me more about you,» Harry smiled after some time, and Louis bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully, trying to find something that would make him look good.  
«I can play the piano.» he said then «Well, a little...» he corrected himself «I mean, I can play the intro of How To Save A Life.»  
«Oh, you like The Fray?» the curly boy asked.  
«Uh, I do, yeah.» he answered.  
«Me too.» Harry smiled, and Louis felt suddenly relieved.  
That band had a special place in his heart, and he wouldn't stand comments as the ones he usually received from Niall, according to whom "The Fray are the perfect background to happily commit suicide".

«So you're good with your hands.» Harry smiled smugly, at that point.  
Louis didn't even try to hold back a smirk while answering «Very.»  
«Good.» the curly boy commented, amused «Tell me more.»  
Louis shook his head with a fond smile, thinking of something about himself that was not completely embarrassing. He left aside "I live with a dumb kleptomaniac" and "When I was a child I loved bathing naked", 'cause he wanted to keep a shred of dignity, and he opted for something softer.

«I have six sisters and a little brother.» he said «He and his twin are the youngest, they'll be two years old in a couple of months.»  
«Oh, I love children.» Harry sighed in a loving tone «I only have one older sister.We're very close, even though we haven't spent much time together, lately: she's always away for work and I'm in London, quite far from home.»  
«I know, the distance is hard for me too, especially with my boss thinking that holidays are some mythological monster.»  
Harry giggled, leaning backwards into Louis' hands, which were still massaging his back.

The two boys remained silent for a while, feeling unusually comforted by each other's presence. It wasn't awkward, even though they were essentially strangers, but on the contrary those moments felt completely normal and peaceful. So peaceful that they both jumped when «Eeee Macarena!» yelled what seemed to be a ringtone.  
Louis frowned, looking in his pockets until he found his cell phone, and then noticing that the screen wasn't lighting up with a call. «What the-»  
«This time it's mine, sorry.» Harry smiled, a little embarrassed, taking his cell phone from the pocket of his coat and answering the call.  
Louis couldn't help smiling, watching the boy next to him with a surprised look on his face.  
What were the chances that two strangers had the same dumb and embarrassing ringtone? 

«Hey, Lee, hi.» Harry greeted, while Louis distanced himself a little to give him some privacy. The curly boy held his hand to stop him and looked at him with big, green, pleading eyes, pointing at his back.  
Louis shook his head, amused, moving closer again to resume his work from where he had stopped.

«Uhm, yeah, I think so...» Harry was saying to his interlocutor «Already? Oh- okay, yeah... Yeah, um, I hadn't noticed...» The curly boy huffed, half amused and half exasperated «No, Liam, I haven't found a solution for your single life. Yes, I promise, I will come with you wherever you want. No, I'm fine with my life, thank you. No blind dates.» He huffed again. «No, Liam. That guy is creepy.» Louis giggled when Harry groaned of despair. «You know what? You don't have to get me settled down anymore. I've already found someone.»  
Oh. Louis' shoulders bent more than he had expected, and he lowered his eyes on the curly boy's back so he wouldn't see his reflection on the window.

«Yes, unbelievable, I'm capable of socializing.» Harry continued in an ironic tone «Okay then: talk to him.» And just like that he turned around and handed Louis his cell phone, looking at him with big puppy eyes. «Please, save my life.» he whispered.  
«I- what...?» Louis didn't even have the time to finish the sentence that he already had the phone pressed against his ear.  
«Hello?» asked the voice from the other end of the line.  
«Uh... hi?»  
«Wow, you are a real person.» the voice commented «Wait. You are a real person, right? You're not some kind of talking inflatable doll-boy.»  
«No- what?» Louis stuttered, confused.  
«Oh my God, you are a doll-boy and your circuits are shorting out!»  
«I'm not a "doll-boy".» Louis snapped, starting to feel vaguely annoyed «Who am I talking to?»

The tone of the other person's voice changed totally, becoming unexpectedly joyous. «Aw, hi, I'm Liam. Harry's only friend.»  
«You're not my only friend.» the curly boy replied, moving closer to his cell phone to be heard. And, therefore, moving closer to Louis' face, too.  
«Okay, Harry's-only-friend. Nice to meet you.» the older boy huffed «I'm Louis.»  
«Louiss?»  
«Without all those "S"»  
«Aw, Lou-ee.»  
«Why does he keep saying "aw"?» Louis whispered to Harry, slightly creeped out.  
«It's a good sign, it means he likes you.» the curly boy nodded «Or he has eaten too many sweets; sugar has a weird effect on him.»  
Louis giggled.

«Lou-ee, how old are you? Are you English? I can tell from your accent. You're not a rapist, right? Harry isn't that good at judging people, he thinks everyone is good and full of rainbow glitter. I'm sorry I called you doll-boy, I don't think that's even grammatically correct. Do you happen to have a single friend? No, wait, that makes me sound desperate-»  
«Liam Harry's-only-friend, calm down.» Louis stopped him, overwhelmed by the relentless flow of words «It was nice knowing you, but I'm feeling a little woozy, so I'm gonna give Harry his phone back.»  
«All right. Bye, Lou-ee!»  
«Bye, Liam.» 

«I'm so sorry,» the curly boy whispered, looking too amused to be honest, taking his phone back and lightly caressing Louis' arm «Lee, you traumatize people.» he then said to his friend «Mh-mh, okay, I'll tell him.» He ended the call and turned towards Louis, a look of apology on his face. «Liam said he was sorry for traumatizing you.» he told him «And I'm sorry too.»  
«Don't worry, at least now I understand why you made that comment about embarrassing friends, earlier.» Louis chuckled, realizing what he had said a second too late «I mean, not that Liam is embarrassing, he-» 

«He is.» Harry smiled «And I really didn't want to involve you, but Lee becomes rather suffocating when he meddles in my romantic life.» he explained «Inexistent romantic life.» he then added in a lower tone.  
«Harry, seriously, this was a piece of cake compared to the average conversations I have with my friends. There's nothing to be sorry about.» Louis reassured him.  
Harry smiled. «He's gonna interrogate me about you, but at least he will stop trying to set me up with every single human being he meets.» he joked «I don't why he's so against being single – as if it was some kind of disease or something like that. Personally I think it's better waiting for, you know... someone who is worth it.» 

«Yeah, I feel the same way.» Louis nodded, smiling sweetly while trying not to get lost in Harry's green, bright eyes. They were so beautiful... not to mention the rest of his face, or the rest of his body, or-how could there be so much beauty all enclosed in a single human being?  
And the best part was, his beauty wasn't limited to his physical appearance: Harry seemed like a really nice person. 

«We are now arriving at Retford.» announced a voice coming from the speaker above them, surprising them both, and Harry's expression seemed to sadden a bit.  
«This is mine stop.» he mumbled slowly, and Louis felt his heart sink in his stomach.  
«Oh,» he whispered, not knowing what to say «Are you going to see some relatives?» he then decides to ask, only to distract the curly boy from the unhappy expression that had appeared on his face.  
«No... I'm here for Liam.» Harry answered, shifting a little on the seat and lowering his eyes «He moved here a few months ago and we promised to see each other during the holidays...» he explained distractedly. He had never wished so much for another herd of cows to graze on the rails.  
«I see.» Louis nodded in a feeble voice, watching the other boy while he put on his coat and stood up to retrieve the suitcase from the glove compartment.

Could he ask for Harry's phone number? Or would he look like some kind of creepy stalker?  
He broke into a cold sweat when the train started to slow down. Crazy as it sounded, since they had just met, he didn't want to let Harry go. But he certainly couldn't kidnap him and take him to Doncaster. (Right?)  
It was ridiculous how he hadn't felt uncomfortable massaging his back for half an hour, but now that he wanted to ask for his number he was totally embarrassed.

«It was nice meeting you, Louis.» Harry smiled sweetly.  
«It was nice to meet you, too.» Louis mumbled, standing up and raising his eyes to Harry's face.  
«Maybe we'll meet again in London, or on another train.» the curly boy winked, then pulled him into the most unexpected but lovely hug.  
Louis sighed, pressing his face against Harry's shoulder and breathing in his fresh perfume.  
It was just unfair that Harry's arms were so perfect for him, and he couldn't even ask for his phone number. Seriously, what was wrong with him? 

The train slowly stopped and Harry tripped forward, luckily held by Louis' hug.  
«Thank you.» he whispered with a small smile, slowly detaching himself from the older boy and grabbing the handles of his suitcase.  
«Bye, Harry.» Louis greeted him, feeling his heart skip a beat in the saddest way possible.  
The curly boy left a kiss on his cheek before walking away, waving. «Bye, Loueh!» he shouted as he crossed the train doors, making the other boy smile instinctively.  
Louis sat again on his seat and raised his eyebrows as Harry got closer to the window.  
The curly boy put the palm of his big hand on it, smiling with those wonderful dimples, and Louis giggled, feeling like a little girl with her first crush while pressing his hand against Harry's.  
Well, technically there was the window glass between them, but it didn't stop his heart from beating at a crazy speed. 

The doors closed again and the train started moving, so Harry took some fast steps to keep his hand pressed against the window. At a certain point he was forced to stop, but he immediately started waving at Louis, who continued to giggle and blush and swallow to get rid of the sudden knot that had formed in his throat.  
He couldn't believe that something like that had really happened, that he had grown fond of a stranger in less than a two-hours trip. And, feeling a little dramatic, he thought that he had just left a piece of his heart at the Retford train station. 

«Idiot, why didn't you ask for his fucking number?» he murmured, nervously pulling at his hair and attracting the dazed looks of some passengers.  
He sighed gloomily, leaning against the seat backrest and putting his hands into the pockets of his coat, asking himself how could be that stupid.  
He really felt like hitting his head against the window or lying downon the floor and staying there for the rest of his life, since there was no way in the world he could meet Harry again.  
Because he was an idiot, incapable to even ask for a fucking phone number.  
But on the other hand, Harry hadn't asked for his either, so he probably wasn't interested...

«Jesus,» Louis groaned, pressing his forehead against the window and placing his hand where right before there was Harry's.  
Could he steal the window and take it home? Or would that be a tad too desperate?  
«God, Tomlinson, get it together.» he huffed, annoyed at himself, straightening up on the seat and putting his hands back in his pockets. 

He took a deep breath and tried to convince himself that Harry was a person like any other, that there was no point in becoming so demoralized for a guy with whom he had spent less than two hours of his life, that soon he would've been home, with his mother, his family and Niall and he would've forgotten about those green eyes, those dimples, those soft curls and everything about that adorable boy.  
And he was starting to believe it, when his fingers suddenly met something unusual.

Frowning, confused, he pulled his left hand out of his pocket and he opened it, finding out what was the strange thing he had just found: placed on his palm there was a crumpled slip of paper, folded several times.  
Louis opened it hesitantly, feeling his heartbeat increase progressively, and a radiant smile appeared on his face as soon as he read the writing on the paper. Under his eyes, there was a phone number and a hasty "Harry xx" that made his heart skip a beat.  
When the hell did Harry write that? Maybe he had some superpowers, or maybe Louis had forgotten his contact lens, but either way... he had Harry's number!

«And he made all those dramatic comments about "maybe meeting again on another train", asshole!» Louis rejoiced, smiling so big his cheeks started hurting and barely keeping himself from skipping around the coach.  
He quickly saved Harry's number on his own phone and then he stared entranced at the slip of paper still held between his fingers, as if it was a tiny piece of Harry that he could keep with himself. More manageable than a window, for sure. 

Louis smiled happily and he leaned against the seat backrest, while the train raced down the track.  
Although it had come a little early, that was definitely the best birthday present he had ever received.


End file.
